We're not sure if this idea exists anywhere but in the
mind of designer Junyi Heo, but it seems like another interesting adaptation of the USB power standard, following the footsteps of all of those body part warmers from a few years ago: it's called the Digital Pot, and it uses a cup within-a-cup design, an LCD, and a few sensors to tell you whether or not a particular plant is pleased with its current living conditions. To do so, the Digital Pot tests the soil's temperature, humidity, water level, and "conditions" (we're guessing levels of nutrients), then reports back to you via representative pictograms. It even stores excess water in an external vessel (presumably for later use) in case you accidentally induce drowning. The system works on a USB power source, but from the designs, it seems like it has some sort of battery and only requires occasional charging.
One thing we're curious to know is how adaptable the Digital Pot is/will be to different types of plants. If you're growing a daisy, for example, you wouldn't want the same sensor settings that you'd want for a cactus.
Via OhGizmo. 
USB Home Pregnancy Test Kit
By Ian Chiu on June 5th, 2008
